Alan commits to Wimbledon

has committed himself to AFC Wimbledon after he played a crucial role in the club’s League 2 survival.Alan BennettWe are delighted to announce that

The experienced defender (pictured above left in the 2-2 draw at Gillingham) made 18 appearances for Wimbledon after joining on February 1 and the club’s management have moved quickly to make Alan a part of their squad for 2013/14.

, said: “Alan has been a key player for us and he has proven his worth since joining Wimbledon. He is a leader both on and off the pitch and his experience was invaluable for us during the run-in. As soon as the season ended we wanted to keep Alan as a priority before other clubs could come in for him.”Neil CoxAssistant manager,

A former Republic of Ireland international, Alan started his career at Cork City before being signed by Reading in 2007. Following a loan spell at Southampton, Alan left Reading and helped both Brentford and Wycombe Wanderers to League 2 promotions. After a move to Cheltenham Town, Alan came so close to making it a treble of promotions when the Robins were beaten in the 2011/12 play-off final by Crewe Alexandra.

However, his contract at Cheltenham was cancelled by mutual consent just minutes before last season’s January transfer deadline and that allowed him to join Wimbledon a day later.

See the official website later for an interview with Alan Bennett about his future ambitions at AFC Wimbledon.